#I love him riding shotgun with me to pick up pizza for dinner and I love helping with homework

[just-rogi]

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[feverinfeveroutfic]

chapter five | soup and numbers

It had been a week since Sam had settled into her apartment in the Bronx, and it had been a few days since she had hooked up her phone to call up Aurora. It took her a few days for her to even so much as have a straight up conversation with her given the workload Jon had left her with as part of their crew. She soon found her last name was Young, and she was a second generation American.

“My paternal grandparents came over here from North Korea,” she explained, “while my maternal grandparents are from South Korea. And then when my parents met, they went down to Southern California together. Like a pair of forbidden lovers which completely bonded the entire Korean peninsula.”

Indeed, her parents were plotting on moving out to New York City, much like how Ruben and Esmé were plotting on doing that very same thing as well. They had told her about their plan during their last round of dinner with her before they returned to Carson City for the time being.

“Everyone's moving out to New York,” Sam chuckled at the thought.

In the meantime, it was in fact the coldest winter she had dealt with since she moved away from Carson City. After spending the morning with the bunch of them, the snow had begun to fall. And it continued to fall even after the sun had gone down: the golden lights from the street lit up the steady blanket of snowflakes in a warm amber glow, so warm in fact that she snuggled under the covers. When she awoke the next morning to a near six inches of snow on the sidewalk, and Emile almost eating it after he slipped on a patch of ice downstairs, she knew she wasn't on the West Coast anymore.

She remembered what she and Charlie had talked about in the coffee house the few days before, between the snow and also with her art. She knew she would have to make her way over to the nearest art school and enlist herself within the next day or so, but to do that meant having to wade through all of that intense snow. But she wasn't on the West Coast anymore: she had to put down her head and pull through it if she wanted to go anywhere and do anything significant in this weather. Just brave it with the hope that she wouldn't freeze to death. Indeed, when she got a minute with Emile, he told her about the schools around the City and she figured it was best to take the subway down to the school in Brooklyn: she figured she would head down that way anyways to visit Aurora and the boys.

She put on her heaviest black coat, her worn down knee high boots, two pairs of socks, her black gloves, and her heavy red and white knit scarf: if there was one other thing she needed besides a new pair of boots, it was something to protect her head and her ears from the intense bitter northeast cold. Despite the cold, she managed to make her way to the subway terminal up the block from the complex and find her way back down to Brooklyn. She hoped whatever money she could pick up from attending school would help her cover the cost of taking the subway.

But Sam rode all the way down with her hand up on the rung and her other hand on her purse strap. A California girl cozying her way into New York City with her heavy black clothes and serious expression.

If there was one other thing she needed to adjust to about riding the subway, it was the fact riding such a long distance left her feeling dizzy from the steady continual sway of the train on those slick silvery rails. Indeed, when she stepped off the train onto the concrete platform, her head spun and she caught herself on the brick pillar next to her to steady herself. Passengers strode on past her but she wanted to be alone anyway.

She was greeted by a blast of warm air through the vent over her head as well as a rush of cold from the tunnel behind her. After she caught her balance, and the train had drifted away, she pressed on to the stairs and back out to the sharp New York cold.

She was about a block away from the rehearsal space, which meant after she enrolled herself and filled out the paper work, she could swing by and see if they were in that day.

Or so she thought because it was all what she wanted.

She was in the admissions office for about an hour and a half because it was a difficult school to get into and she also had to go through all of the pithy nonsense surrounding financial aid. Because she had only lived in New York for a week, she needed to scrounge around a scholarship or two to help her out.

“We'll have to see a portfolio of sorts, though,” the counselor pointed out to her before her interview was up. “And once we have it, we'll begin the admission process.”

“Most of it's packed up but I'll try and get something together as soon as possible,” she vowed.

“Sounds good! Until then, welcome aboard, Miss Shelley.”

It was almost noon by the time Sam stepped back outside to the street, lined with a thick white blanket of snow and crushed ice. The sun remained hidden behind the thick dark clouds overhead, and yet even with the darkness of the day, she was able to recognize that dark head of hair from down the block. She padded up the sidewalk and she could feel the snow getting to her feet through that worn leather making up her boots.

Dark head of hair accompanied by three rich shades of violet on her body, the crown of her head, and on her hands.

“Aurora Borealis!” she called out to her, to which Aurora turned around with a set of keys in one hand and a flabbergasted look on her face, and then she smiled at the sight of Sam.

“Hey! I wasn't expecting to see you here.”

“I was just moseying my way into the art school down the block here,” Sam told her.

“Oh, cool! I'm going on lunch break right now.”

“Is it okay if I join?”

“Oh, absolutely! You know what they say, the more the merrier.” Aurora held onto her keys and she led Sam to the corner up ahead, where her little car awaited. Two guys wrapped in heavy dark coats congregated by the rear end.

“And Charlie and Frankie!” Sam declared.

“Hey, girly-cue!” Frank greeted her.

“Girly-cue?” she chuckled.

“Like curlicue, but different.”

“She might officially become an art student here pretty soon,” Aurora announced, to which Charlie's face lit up at that.

“Oh, boy!”

“Yeah, I had an interview just a little bit ago. I have to sign up for free money and give them a sample of my work.”

“Typical,” said Frank with a shrug of his shoulders. “But necessary, though.”

“So where we going to eat lunch at?”

“There's a pho place a few blocks from here,” Charlie told her, “and if you're curious—she suggested it.”

“I might be Korean, but I do like a good dish of pho,” Aurora said with a little smirk on her face; she climbed into the driver's seat right then.

“Shotgun!” Sam called out as she darted to the smooth car door.

“Damn it!” Frank and Charlie spat in unison; she climbed in and closed the door next to her. Even with her gloves on, she rubbed her hands together. The inside of Aurora's car was warm, cozy, dry, and smelled of ginger with a faint tinge of lemons.

“Yeah, I'm not used to it, either,” Aurora confessed as she stuffed her hands into her coat pockets. Frank and Charlie climbed into the cozy back seat behind them.

“Is this your car?” Sam asked her.

“It's actually my dad's car—but he's letting me borrow it for the time being.”

“You ladies might not need a car to get around here,” Frank told her, “that's the beauty of living in New York City.”

“Yeah, you can get just about anywhere via subway or the bus,” Charlie added. “You can go all over the City, and you can go over to Philadelphia, or New Jersey, or D.C., or even over to Boston if you're willing with either of those.”

“And since you girls live where you live in the City, you can get just about anything, too,” Frank continued; Sam caught the sound of him pulling up the zipper on his jacket. Aurora fired up the car so it could warm up and let out some of that warm air through the heater vents on the dashboard.

“Have either of you tried New York pizza?” Frank asked them. “Like real authentic New York pizza?”

“Not yet, no,” Sam confessed.

“Oh, man, you girls are gonna be in for a treat when it happens,” Charlie promised them as he strapped himself in. “You're gonna love the pho here at this little place, too.”

“Made by a little old lady from Saigon!” Frank chimed in. Aurora drove them up the block to the warm lit restaurant on the street corner, where they were greeted by a strong blanket of warmth and an aromatic cocktail of ginger and cooked noodles. The four of them clustered into the cozy booth in the closest corner on the left side of the room; Sam snuggled next to Frank, who had taken his seat next to the window. He bowed his head so his lush dark hair sprawled over his shoulders, and he shivered from the sudden chill courtesy of the window next to them. Before them stood four silver spoons on folded white cloth napkins.

Sam wanted to hear that new record of theirs—she drew a blank on what it was called.

“So how's the album coming along?” she asked him in a low voice.

“Almost done!” he proclaimed. “Joey lay down the vocals for the songs the past few days.” He turned his head to Aurora on the other side of the table. “You heard him, didn't you, Aurora?”

“Oh, yeah!” she said with a raise of her eyebrows. “I couldn't believe it when I heard him. Just this big—huge voice resonating through the walls of the hallway. I actually had to stop what I was doing to pay attention to the playback in the next room.”

“You sure it was because of him or because of me?” Charlie teased her.

“You're a given,” she retorted with a chuckle. “But I heard Joey's voice and I was just enthralled by the sound of it. The way he hit those high notes and kept going higher and higher at points. He's—weirdly quick, too. Like, he changes notes at the drop of a hat. It's stunning and even kind of... I want to say hypnotic.”

Within time, they put in their orders for bowls of pho courtesy of the aforementioned little old lady from Vietnam in latex gloves: Aurora asked for a bowl of vegetarian soup, while Sam and Charlie asked for chicken in their bowls, and Frank asked for beef.

“I wonder how this goes,” Sam confessed in a low voice as the other woman in there brought them little white china cups of tea.

“It's like magic,” Frank told her with a twinkle in his eye. She turned her head to look on at the calluses on his fingers. Surely, there had to be more to this scene than previously thought. But she returned to the sight of the old Vietnamese woman with a warm thoughtful smile on her face and her salt and pepper hair tied up in a bun behind her head; she lingered behind the counter, but she stood behind a break in the wall where they could watch her lay out some beef and some chicken in separate bowls. She poured in scalding hot broth in either bowl, and it was there that Sam realized that cooked the meat. Behind her stood a couple of pots of noodles.

She poured those into the bowls as well as some chopped vegetables and, once those were done, she picked out another bowl for Aurora's vegetarian soup.

Four bowls of pho made up within a few minutes time, and the other woman in there brought each of them over to their table. Charlie thanked her as they picked up their spoons and dipped in at the same time. Sam took a bite of the chicken, which she could tell had been cooked all the way through from the hot broth. Perfect mixture of ginger fused with vegetables and another spice that she was unsure of. It was warm and delicate, perfect for a cold day like that.

“Oh my god, this is so good,” Aurora declared as she picked up a biteful of noodles, carrots, bok choi, and a pea pod.

“Told you!” Frank proclaimed.

“So, now that you have the music tracks down, what's next?” Sam asked them.

“Goes into production now,” said Charlie once he swallowed down his bite of pho. “It's gotta be mastered and mixed and polished up and whatnot. That's the part that takes a long time.”

“So because of that, we should expect it to come out some time in the fall,” Frank added as he took another large bite of beef, which, too, had been cooked to perfection courtesy of that broth.

“Just in time for me to start school!” Sam declared.

“Just in time for school to start!” Charlie's face lit up at the sound of that. He raised his cup of tea for the bunch of them to make a toast with him. Frank brought his cup closer to his, and Aurora and Sam followed suit. Their tea cups clinked together and they drank it down in unison: the tea was nice, sweet, and warm, like a gentle hug straight out of southeast Asia. Sam set down the cup of tea and then she took another bite of pho.

She nestled down in the seat next to Frank. To think she was mingling so easily there in New York City, and she believed she was going to be a complete outlier upon arriving.

They were the only ones in that little cafe the whole entire time they ate those large bowls of warm Vietnamese soup: Sam caught Charlie picking up his bowl for a lick on the bottom.

“You like the soup, Char?” Frank cracked as he set his spoon down on the napkin on the table.

“It's amazing,” Charlie quipped with a wipe of his mouth from the napkin before him.

“Satisfying, too,” Aurora added as she leaned back in her seat.

“So you gotta get back to work now,” Frank spoke out of the blue.

“I do, yeah! I have tomorrow off, though, so maybe the four of us can hang out together.”

“You just wanna find any excuse to chill with Charlie here,” Frank teased her.

“Aw,” Sam showed her a smile.

“Charlie's nice to me,” Aurora confessed with a shrug of her shoulders. He looked on at her like a prince with his eyebrows raised up into his wavy bangs and his dark eyes wide so as to resemble deep pools.

“What'chu gettin' at?” he sputtered.

“I wanna get wit' 'chu,” she retorted.

“But we're not a couple, though.”

“You guys'd make a cute couple,” Sam pointed out as she picked up her cup of tea once again for a final drink.

“Ooh, yeah, they would!” Frank joined in with a twinkle in his eye and a big grin on his face.

“You just wanna see me with an Asian chick,” Charlie spat.

“Remember the last time you hung out with an Asian chick?”

“Yeah, I almost lost my virginity that night, too—oh, wait, I wasn't supposed to mention that.” Charlie brought a hand to his mouth, but the words had already left his lips at that point. Sam burst out laughing and Frank bowed his head to keep his otherwise big jovial laugh quiet, but it was useless. Aurora gaped at him for a few seconds before she started laughing herself.

“You wanna share, Charlie?” she demanded.

“I don't think this is the best place for that, though, Aurora,” he said in a low tone. Frank covered his mouth with both hands to keep his laughter down.

“I have time, you know,” she quipped. “I don't have to clock back in for another twenty minutes.”

“Yeah, and not only that, but I'm kinda curious now,” Sam joined in, to which she folded her arms over the top of the table.

“Oh, c'mon, Sam!”

“It'll keep Frankie over here from busting a stitch,” Aurora pointed out. Charlie shot Frank a mortified glance; Frank, meanwhile, gazed on at him with his face gone as red as a cherry tomato and his hands clasped over his mouth. Every so often, his shoulders quivered with the impending laughter.

“Okay,” Charlie said. He extended his hands over the top of the table. His long lanky fingers fanned out like the feathers of a male peacock. “This was two years ago, back when I had first joined the band—like literally right when I joined the band. I got off the phone with Scott and Danny the night before and they told me to get my ass in because they were beginning work on something for the label. So I was in the space first thing the next morning with my drum kit. Frankie was still in school, but he told about this Asian girl in his class who had the hots for him. I mean, she was totally nuts about him—Frankie couldn't hardly get her off of his ass. She was a little older than him, too: Frankie was still seventeen and she was eighteen so of course he told me about her.”

“What'd you do?” asked Aurora.

“Well after rehearsal and after Scott showed me the songs they had on deck, and I had gone home to try them out for myself, I ran into her. She was about your height, Aurora—but she wasn't nearly as pretty as you, though. She asked me, 'hey, do you know Frank?' And I was like 'Frank—Bello?' And she nodded her head and I was like, 'why, what's up?' And she said, 'When's he turning eighteen?' And I said, 'Why's it matter?' And she goes, 'I wanna have a little fun with him on his birthday, so tell me when it is', and I go, 'you know, I'm his brother.'” Sam giggled at that.

“And she goes, 'oh, really?' and her face lit up at the sound of it, too,” Charlie continued, “and I nodded my head at her real slowly like this.” He nodded his head at a slow pace with a nervous smile on his face all the while.

“I dunno if you ladies ever felt the lust from someone before—but I stood before her and I could feel the attraction from her. It was just oozing out from her—it was like a pulse of sorts. I went on to say that Frankie might not even be available come the summer, too: he might be going off to college to play baseball by the time his birthday rolls around.”

Frank brought his hands to his mouth again.

“So what'd you do?” asked Sam.

“I told her, 'if you're feelin' it right now, I can do the honors for you right here.' And she goes, 'right here?' Stunned, just like that. And I nodded at her with a grin on my face. And so I took her hand and I led her to like this little nook off to the side—we were standing outside of the school when this whole thing went down, so I took her over to a nook behind the cafeteria for a little meeting of east and west, if you know what I mean.” Charlie then brought his hands to his face, to which Frank began laughing again.

“How'd it go?” Sam pressed on, that time in a lower voice. Charlie shook his head behind his hands and Frank bowed his head towards the top of the table.

“Charlie, how'd it go?” Aurora asked him as a nervous grin appeared with her. He then lifted his face from his palms so he could rub his eyes.

“Me,” he said in a low voice. “Me!” He then leaned back in his seat to point at himself. “Imagine me, this dumbass right here—this, this complete dumbass right here—taking this Asian chick who's barely legal and a year older than my underage nephew slash kid brother back to an alleyway to pop both of our cherries. She looks at me—” He closed his eyes and ran his tongue along his bottom lip. “—goes, 'what're you doing?' and I'm like, 'what you want me to do. You know.' And she goes, 'no, I don't. I think I probably should've added I wanted to throw him a party for his birthday. I wanted to get to know those close to him so I know what he likes. What'd you think I meant?'”

Frank wiped away tears from laughing so hard. Aurora and Sam glanced at one another with grins on their faces.

“It gets better, though,” he continued with a wag of his finger. “I said, 'I thought—you wanted me to teach you how to at least kiss.' And the whole entire time, I could feel my face growing about as red as Frankie's is right now. But lucky for me—really, I still feel like I got lucky with this—she had a sense of humor, though: she said, 'oh, no, I've got plenty of that under my belt, thank you, though.' And then she looks at me with her eyes squinted closed a bit, and goes, 'I do like the way your mind works, though.' And I said, 'if I'm honest, I'm a drummer. You know, the whole trope about drummers not really getting any. Sometimes one'll slip.' And she goes, 'it's weird to think that because I've always thought the rhythm section was the sexier of the band.' And I said, 'really?' And she goes, 'oh yeah. Drummers bang and bass players are like sweet chariots in that they swing low, if you know what I mean.'”

Aurora and Sam gaped at one another again, to which the latter began laughing at the whole notion.

“So what happened after that?” Aurora asked him.

“We planned a party for Frankie for his birthday in July. It was a good thing we did because we found out he had lost his scholarship.”

“Aw!” Aurora and Sam groaned in unison.

“But Danny got fired, though,” Frank pointed out.

“Yeah, Danny Lilker got fired because of Neil's nonsense,” Charlie echoed, “and I told him, 'hey, dude, you wanna be in this band with me? We'll be the sexy rhythm section together.' And he goes, 'yeah, sure, why not? It's either that or work a stupid job I'd probably hate to support myself.' And the rest is—as you know—” He brought his tea cup back to his lips. “—history. Just worked out beautifully.”

Aurora then peered down at her watch.

“Oh, shit, I gotta get back to work!” she declared. With that, the four of them pitched in for the bill and stood to their feet; Sam and Frank thanked the two women in there before they stepped back outside to the impending snow. Aurora fished her keys out of her purse once they reached the car, and they all slid back into the warm interior. No sooner had they gotten back in when they had to climb back out to the sidewalk outside of the building. Aurora ducked inside to clock back in on time; Charlie and Frank turned to Sam, who stuck her hands into her coat pockets. Frank adjusted the lapels of his jacket and brought the collar in closer to his neck.

“You wanna take a walk?” he offered her.

“You guys don't have anywhere to be?” she asked them, slightly stunned.

“Not right now, no,” Charlie confessed with a shake of his head. “As long as you don't have anywhere to be, that is.”

“Not right now, no,” Sam echoed him. “I have to go home and compile a portfolio but that won't take me very long, though.”

“True.”

“But yeah, I wanna get to know this place better, though. I want to know what I've gotten myself into here.”

“And you should know what you got yourself into with us, too,” Charlie quipped, which brought a laugh out of her.

With nothing more to add, the three of them padded down the sidewalk together, like three kids on their way to school.

“So is Joey back upstate?” she asked them as they reached the crosswalk.

“Oh, yeah—he went back up yesterday morning,” Frank told her over the noise of the street. “Poor guy slept on the hard couch in there and I guess he had a rough night all the while, too.”

“Aw, that blows,” Sam remarked.

“Yeah, I've had to do that a few times myself,” said Charlie as he took a little pair of horn rimmed sunglasses out from his coat pocket, even though the sun was still buried behind the clouds. “That couch actually isn't bad, though—I've taken naps on it, and so has Scott. Wouldn't recommend it but it's better than sleeping on the floor, though.”

“Now, I had to do that,” Frank added with a wag of his finger. “Not too long ago, actually.”

“Was it when you moved in downstairs?” she asked him; he paused for a second, and then his face lit up.

“Actually, yeah! I didn't have my bed yet and I hate sleeping on my couch so I put down the blankets on the floor as well as my pillow, and I lay down.”

“Why do you hate sleeping on your couch?”

“Cushions are scratchy,” Charlie said as they walked across the street to the opposite corner.

“Yeah, the cushions are scratchy because of the feathers and it's just not very comfortable to lay on. We found it outside of our old building and it looked pristine, like someone had just dropped it off there, and so I took it for myself.”

“It is quite the event to sit on, too,” Charlie added.

“Yeah, you don't really wanna sit on it during the summer time,” Frank pointed out; his voice trailed off and they reached the next crosswalk. Frank stood to her left while Charlie hung there on her right. Sam peered across the pavement to all the little shops which lined the sidewalks all around them. Directly across the intersection from them stood a music shop. Sam spotted a young boy in the front window there with a pale yellow acoustic guitar rested upon his lap. He had a thick head of jet black hair and slender little arms: he made her think of Joey, except he was far more pale than him and his hair was smoother in comparison.

She wondered how Joey himself was doing back at his place in the upstate part of New York. She hoped he had slept well in his bed that night before; she also thought of what Aurora had told her about him the other day. There was a part of her that wished she had seen him looking on at her there in that room just to make sure of it.

The light turned green and the three of them padded across the street; before they reached the curb, Sam took another glimpse into the shop window across the street at that boy in there. She wondered if Joey played any other instruments besides his own voice.

The pho she had eaten earlier kept her warm even in the face of the cold winds; the taste of the ginger with the hot tea lingered in the back of her mouth, although she wished for a drink of warm water. The three of them strolled on the soaking wet sidewalk; the gutter next to them had been lined with stout snow drifts courtesy of the plows. More snow was upon them: she could feel it hanging over their heads, up in those dark clouds overhead.

“So you guys know your way around Brooklyn and everything?” she asked them as they congregated underneath a stretch of awning; she turned to find it was a flower shop which had pulled in for the winter time.

“Of course, of course,” Frank replied with a shiver down his spine. “We know more about the Bronx than Brooklyn or Manhattan, though, if I'm being honest.”

“There's a subway up ahead if you guys wanna go back up to the Bronx, though,” Charlie pointed out; indeed, straight ahead stood a wrought iron fence on the sidewalk.

“Sounds decent,” said Frank as he adjusted the lapels on his jacket. “It's gonna be a bit before the train comes back, though.”

“There was that music shop back there,” she pointed to the corner behind them.

“I like her, Charlie,” Frank confessed.

“I like her, too,” Charlie agreed, “although we both got enough with us, though. But that's real sweet of you, Sam.”

“Yeah, Charlie and I made an agreement that we're gonna cherish our female fans when they come along,” Frank told her.

“Aw, that's so sweet,” she remarked.

“If we get more money from the label, we oughta get her something, Char.”

“You guys aren't making any money?” She gaped at them.

“Not at the moment, no,” Charlie confessed with a shrug of his shoulders. “We did make a little bit from a few gigs this past year, though.”

“Explains why the four of us pitched in,” Frank pointed out.

“I've got five hundred bucks in my account,” Charlie continued, “and Frankie's got a little from a grant he had applied for before he went to school. If this record is a hit, I'll be seeing that number go up.”

“I hope it is a hit, oh my god.” Sam brought a hand to her chest.

“It could be worse, though,” Frank pointed out. “We could be like those poor guys across the street.” He gestured to the triad of homeless men on the other side of the street: all three of them donned in rags and looking as though they had been out there for months on end.

“For real,” Charlie added.

“So this record is—” Sam hesitated.

“The one thing keeping us away from life on the streets,” Frank told her. The three of them stood in stunned silence; she peered up to the buildings there across the street, and she realized they were underneath a series of apartment buildings. People in there nice and warm in comparison to those poor three guys on the sidewalk.

“Wanna go back up?” Charlie suggested right then.

“Yeah, might as well,” Frank replied.

“It's cold out here,” Sam chimed in.

“Yeah, it feels like the snow's upon us, Char...”

The three of them proceeded to walk on up to the wrought iron entrance on the sidewalk up ahead. Sam shivered from the cold over their heads; she rounded the rim of the fence first and proceeded on down the stairs.

“Hey, California girl, wait up!” Frank called out to her, which brought a laugh out of Charlie. She waited for them at the one landing there on the stairs, and then the three of them continued on into the terminal. The three of them posted up at the platform in anticipation of the next subway train to take them home to the Bronx.

The terminal was cold and wet from the tunnels on either side of them; Frank and Charlie huddled closer to her to keep her warm and to keep themselves warm in turn.

“Did I give you my number?” Frank asked her.

“Nah, I thought we both figured that since we're neighbors we didn't need to,” Sam recalled.

“I think we should, though. You know—as sort of like a 'just in case' kind of thing, you know?”

“Like in case something happens to the both of us,” she followed along.

“I'll give you mine, too,” Charlie added as he took off his sunglasses and tucked them back into his coat pocket. “And I'll give you Scott, Dan, and Joey's numbers, too.”

Within time, the subway rolled up on the rail before them and the three of them boarded there near the front, where they found the whole car was loaded full with passengers. They huddled near the door, to which Sam held onto the rung over her head with her free hand. Frank and Charlie both gripped onto the metal poles.

“It kind of reminds me of a stripper's pole,” the former joked, which made the latter bow his head to hide the grin on his face. Sam giggled at him, but her laughter was cut short by the subway's darting forward. She almost lost her balance from the sudden jolt but she caught herself by the strength of her own hand on the rung. A few people behind her backed up a bit but they remained in place otherwise they could probably topple over like a bunch of dominoes.

Lucky for her, the subway was warm and dry even with the patches of water on the hard metal floor underneath them. She held onto her purse with nothing more than her fingertips. Frank lingered closer to her, away from the rest of the crowd of passengers behind them. Charlie kept his hand on the pole in front of him to steady himself.

“You alright?” Frank asked her.

“Yeah. I just—wasn't expecting that.”

“I don't think anyone was, if I'm frank.”

“You are Frank,” she retorted, which brought a laugh out of Charlie, and then it soon brought a laugh out of Frank himself.

That long ride up the spine of New York City with their arms up proved to be quite the event in and of itself. By the halfway point, Sam put her arm down and shook her hand about, but then again, most of the people on the car with them had already filed out at that stop. Charlie beckoned Frank and Sam to take a seat by the double doors. The three of them huddled next to each other like a little trio of young penguins.

At least they were warm for the remainder of the trip back to their humble homes up in the Bronx. By the time they rolled into the terminal it was mid afternoon, and the warm sensation from the pho and the tea both had worn off.

“You got anything to eat?” Frank asked her once they were back outside; small snow flurries floated down from the gray sky overcast.

“For dinner?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, yeah. Why, do you have anything?”

“For tonight and tomorrow, yeah.”

“Okay, that's good. You kinda worried me there for a second...” The three of them walked along the sidewalk back to their humble apartment complex.

Indeed, once Sam unlocked the door, she made her way over to the opposite wall in the living room and she turned on the thermostat to bring on the heat. Frank hung near the front door with his hands in his coat pockets to keep the warmth inside. Charlie took a seat on her couch and ran his fingers through his dark hair; Sam brought out a little pad of paper from the kitchen for him. He took off the pen cap with his mouth and scribbled down their numbers on the paper for her.

“How 'bout you?” she asked him.

“What about me?” he asked with his mouth full.

“You got anything for dinner?”

“Oh, yeah. Thank you, though—”

He then showed her the pad of paper, which beheld a series of phone numbers for her. Joey's number first, followed his own, Frank, Dan, Scott, and even Jon and Marsha's number.

“Oh, wow, thank you,” she said with a smile on her face. Charlie stood to his feet and flung his arms around her.

“Call me any time you need anything,” he told her.

“Me, too,” Frank joined in; Charlie let go of her so he could give her a hug himself. “Get to work on that little art thing, too.”

“Going to once you guys bounce,” she vowed.

“You don't wanna see us bounce,” Charlie assured her.

“Yeah, we don't bounce, if I'm frank,” Frank joked.

“Be frank, Frank,” Charlie added as the two of them headed on out of her apartment. Sam glanced down at the piece of paper in her hand and she sighed through her nose.

Something caught her eye. She turned her head to the left to see the black thing on the shelf next to the door. It was that journal.

That was it! That could be the start of her portfolio. Or perhaps it could be a part of the whole package.

But either way, it was as if fate had brought her to it. The question of course was what she could draw in there.

[thecookiegawd]

funny

wrote this piece the day before a show i had at r coffee house, & read it live for the first time that night. this was written to perform, in case u want to imagine that u were there.

who here has ever heard of a gentleman named kain carter? well, long story short (or maybe short story long), he's a pretty popular youtuber, mostly known for making satirical videos based on life & relationships. recently though, he's been absent from the internet due to things happening in his personal life. he just released a video the other day where he talks about how he was coming out of a gas station, & a guy recognized him & asked where all the funny videos were. his response, prompted this piece. 

his response was "...shit just ain't funny to me no more". now that's interesting, because what lewel of rock bottom do u have to be at to not find ANYTHING funny?

i can sit here & talk to u about a bunch of things that are funny.

seeing someone trip but not completely fall & bust their ass is funny. that "charlie bit my finger" video is kinda funny.

seeing someone talking on the phone, searching the room for their cell phone & even going as far as to call their cell phone to find their cell phone is funny.

dave chappelle...hilarious.

some people say life is funny. but life is only funny in that weird way.

you know when your manager tells you that you're getting written up because you didn't do something that you clearly did, but you feel like they're out to get you so they just make up shit, so when they turn the corner to go back into their office you just silently slide them the middle finger?

funny.

when you gotta be to a very important meeting in like 30 minutes but you HAD to get your eyeliner JUST right because let's face it- how you supposed to nail that presentation if your face isn't put on the correct way- & now you have 15 minutes so you rush out to your car & you turn the key & you hear that AMAZING sound of your car saying "FUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCK YOOOOOOUUUUUUUU"?

funny.

that time when the person u were in love w/ out of the blue starts treating u different, & one day u find out that they've found someone else via a post on their instagram w/ the caption, "i've got me good one, so why not smile"?

funny.

so why didn't we laugh?

i know why we didn't laugh.

because humor is about timing.

& time...

time's time.

time can be 1 second or 300 years.

idk about you but i ain't tryna wait 300 years for no punchline.

so when is shit funny?

shit's funny when that manager that was out to get you gets demoted because the big bosses find out that they're not doing their job the correct way, & then they make u the new manager so now u get to tell THEM what to do.

funny is when just at the time that ur car is cussin u out a friend rolls by & asks if u need a ride, so u make it to that meeting just in time, u kill that presentation, & all throughout ur eyeliner looks flawless.

funny is when u see ur now ex-significant-other going thru relationship problems w/ the person they left u for & now ur in a flourishing, healthy marriage, w/ a kid on the way.

& u just bought a big ass house w/ mad rooms & a swimming pool.

in a documentary he put out, he told a story:

the short version is that when he was 11 his home life was a mess; his mother married a man who abused him & made every day a struggle. he received news from his biological father that he was gonna get him a baby sister, & from that day on he made the decision that he would never cry again because he had to be strong for her. on the day she was born he got that call...& there was silence on the other end of the phone. she didn't make it. he attended an elementary school across the street, & despite how close to home it was he says that walk home from school the next day felt like a mile. he looks & sees that the car is gone, so no one's home. his stepfather, who was in the military, taught him how to clean, break down & put back together a shotgun that was stashed in his mother's room. he goes in, grabs the shotgun, takes his shoe off so that his tiny legs can reach the trigger, & pulls it. CLICK. the gun jammed. now, over a decade later, he walks around w/ the bullet he loaded that shotgun w/ in his pocket, not for sentimental reasons, but because every once in a while he looks at it & thinks to himself, "hey...remember when u fucked suicide up?"

u see? that's funny...

right now at this very moment, i'm 24 years old, jobless, damn near homeless, i can't honestly tell u where my next meal is coming from, i wake up every morning & wonder how i'm going to make it thru the day, & all i have the energy to do anymore is rap.

i wanna travel the world rapping to people whether it be a crowd of 200 people or 20, taking goofy pictures of people who tell me that that one thing i said in that one song helped them thru their day.

i wanna make art my profession. 

& as i sit here in a room filled with artists, we all know that shit don't always go like that.

u have this person that u have to work for, or this person whom u have to take care of, or this person that u have to live life for right now because that's what's most important. 

some of u, however, make art ur hobby. 

u have a real passion- like maybe some fancy job that pays all ur bills but is ACTUALLY ur career & ACTUALLY what u wanna do for the rest of ur life, & in ur spare time u just make cool shit & show it to ur friends.

i just wanna let u know that i envy u.

because i literally am not good at anything else.

i can't build shit, i don't know how to lay concrete, i can't drive an 18-wheeler, i can't do graphic design, i don't have the patience for small children so i can't be a babysitter...

writing & rapping are literally the only two things in life that i'm good at.

& right now, life will not let me do just that.

so now i have people in my ear (as they normally are when ur jobless) telling me stupid shit like, "yeah i understand that this is ur passion but we have to be realistic". 

lemme tell u something realistic.

i woke up this morning w/ a thousand raps in my head & i've spent the entire day playing catch up so i could bottle them up into the back end of a pencil long enough for me to write them down.

tomorrow when i get them written down i'll record them in my room on my $200 set up, mix & master it as a song, & post it on the internet.

& at some point, someone in the universe is gonna hear that song, relate to it, & it's gonna make them feel something.

that's realistic to me.

fuck what u think reality is.

reality to me is knowing that some day i'm going to wake up in a bed bigger than my house, turn over & kiss my beautiful wife whose body looks like it was designed by apple, run downstairs & cook my children some breakfast because yes...i will eventually learn how to cook.

i'm gonna make a phone call to a very important person & we're gonna talk about this huge tour i'm going on & how i just made so much money off of my last record that i can fund it on my own, & how kanye called me a genius.

then i'm gonna hop in some car that some rapper used in some rap video but that don't matter cuz i actually own my shit.

then i'm gonna go pick up all my friends & we're gonna go to some random place we used to always hang out at when we were broke & had nothing to do- like r coffee house, & we're gonna talk about how we're about to make the biggest move in all of our careers.

then we're going to sit & reminisce about how shit used to be.

how we used to share food off of a dinner plate.

how we used to have to walk across town just to make it to mcdonald's not to eat, but to use the wi-fi to apply for jobs so that we could make some money so that we could eat.

how we used to record 10 songs a day & how those were the good old days because we didn't have jobs so literally all we had time to do was watch House, eat pizza & create.

& i can't wait for that day...

i can't wait for all of this shit to be funny.

[roselirry]

an anon told me i should do this so why not (but we’re gonna act like @stylesmyth tagged me)

rules: choose a couple of fave photos/gifs/manips/etc of your ship! copy and paste the questions down below! answer as if you’re the characters that have been tagged! then tag some more of your fave ships/characters to answer next!

I tag isla and Harry @beggingforfics (BECAUSE SHE STILL HASN’T DONE IT YET) (I don’t think)

WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO:

Make breakfast: Lucy wakes up first but she’ll lay in bed until she absolutely can’t hold her bladder any longer and that normally is enough to wake Harry and he gets his day started immediately with some lovely egg white scramble with cheese and tomatoes and chorizo. 

Cuddle the other for no reason: Harry. As we all know, Lucy doesn’t cuddle while she’s asleep, and while she’s a big fan of cuddling while conscious, she doesn’t really think about it all that often, so more often than not it’s Harry that just like “budge over.” and suddenly they’re cuddling. 

Sleep on the couch after an argument: Neither! 

Drive and who is most likely to ride shotgun: Lucy is much better a riding a bike than a car and she still doesn’t understand the whole “right side of the road” thing, so she just kind of lets herself watch Harry constantly. Or she’ll drink gingerale because she gets a bit nauseous during long car rides. 

Choose the music in the car: After that one time where Lucy only played one direction songs that should’ve been singles and should’ve been given more of a chance...Harry still lets her pick the music. 

Get jealous: Harry. But like not extremely so. 

Break the expensive gift rule: Always god damn Harry. (”Harry, Franklin me and you do not need matching Burberry rain coats!” “Harry I don’t need an ice cream maker!” “Lucy, I got us a trip to Italy!” “HARRY!”)

Remember anniversaries: Harry, poor Lucy has too many dates in her head. One time she wished him a happy anniversary on the anniversary of one of her characters and it was embarrassing as fuck. 

Sneak sweets in the shopping cart: Who do you think? (”Lucy we have ten pints of ice cream”)

Hog the covers at night: Franklin. He sometimes will go under their covers and move around so much that he ends up pulling the covers off of them some nights and then they both wake up frozen and have to disentangle their dog from the bed spread.

1. What do you do when the other is upset?

Harry: I calm her down. Always. I let her get her mind off of things with writing or talking about her stories. Or I’ll let her vent. Sometimes she just needs to vent.    Lucy: I give him space, unless he gives me the puppy dog look then Franklin and I cuddle him up real nice. But normally just me making him laugh works. 

2. Who is more romantic? Give examples.

Harry: Lucy’s pretty romantic, writes all these love letters about me and let’s other people see them online so I guess that’s pretty romantic.  

Lucy: I can’t even look at you right now. 

Harry: But Lucy really is pretty romantic, she’ll share her ice cream sometimes and she started buying me dairy free ice cream and she even makes me protein shakes or fruit smoothies if she knows I’m coming home from a long morning of workouts. 

Lucy: Harry does my laundry, and carries my groceries, he also holds the umbrella over my head when it rains. 

3. What do your families think of your relationship?

Harry: My mum loved her from the moment she saw Lucy, of course it was probably because I talked about her like she was sent from Heaven and my mum really appreciates, and I quote, “someone who never lets the dimple take a break.” 

Lucy: No comment. 

4. If you had to wear a couples costume for Halloween, what would you go as?

Harry: We tried to do fruit salad one year, but Lucy then decided we have to go as the couple from 101 Dalmatians and find our dog a dalmatian costume. 

Lucy: We also discussed Sherlock Holmes and Watson with our handy dandy pooch investigator. 

5. Are you both earlier rises? Or do you both sleep in? Or is there one of each?

Harry: I’m an early riser if I’m working out, otherwise I sleep in until like 9 or 10. Depending on how much I love the sleep. 

Lucy: Early-ish definitely. 

6. Do you have any routines at night? Before bed, in bed, etc.

Harry: Honestly, I just tend to read, or I write in my journal. But more often than not I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. 

Lucy: I read fanfiction as my bedtime story. 

7. What nicknames do you have for each other?

Harry: Honey Bee, Lucy Bee. Interchangeable. 

Lucy: Normally boring things like love, babe, and the occasional baby. 

8. Say you had a child, who is the strict parent and who is the lenient parent?

Harry: Haha, funny that you mention that since we’re actually expecting...twins...but um, I’m not really sure. All I know is it’s going to be a lot of working together because those two; little chocolate chip, and sprinkle, they are quite the rambunctious kickers. 

Lucy: I don’t really have another answer, all I know is that Harry is already spoiling them. 

9. Would you rather go to a fancy restaurant for a date or stay at home and watch movies with pizza?

Harry: Staying home. Always staying home. 

Lucy: Ever since these two came into our lives about 6 months ago, it’s been a lot more of staying home because I can’t ride a bike, nor can I really find the energy to go out unless we’re going to dinner at Niall’s. Niall is always fun. Ooh, and when Liam has us over too. For his garden luncheons. Always the best food. Louis throws a mean barbecue. 

10. What first attracted you about the other person?

Harry: Her clumsiness, and what was on her computer screen. 

Lucy: The curls. Which sounds incredibly superficial but I started out as a fan and like his entire face was nice to look at!

[diekleineelisabeth]

I was tagged by the the lovely @stairwaytostylesfic to do this – thank you so much! I know I am super late with this, but I was in England and had no laptop and not the best internet, so here it goes – for Emma and Harry! (It got a bit out of control!)

I’m gonna tag @likeamisfit for my faves Chaz and Haz – if you want to do it!

Rules: Choose a couple of fave photos/gifs/manips/etc of your ship! copy and paste the questions down below! Answer as if you’re the characters that have been tagged! Then tag some more of your fave ships/characters to answer next!

WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO:

I: Make breakfast: 

Harry: I have to say Emma. You’re obsessed with breakfast. Remember, one of the first nights you stayed over and the next morning I found you downstairs, making pancakes, dancing around in the kitchen, screaming some Wombats song into the spatula? Emma: Haha, fuck… yes, I do remember that. You scared me half to death that morning. Harry (smug): I also did other things that morning. Emma: Harry! Okay, back to the topic - I’m just very enthusiastic when it comes to my favourite meal of the day… I’d actually be happy to have brinner all the time. Harry: Brinner? Emma: Yeah, you know – breakfast for dinner – like in Scrubs, when Turk and J.D. had breakfast for dinner? Speaking of… wanna do that tonight? Harry: If it includes you dancing around half-naked in my kitchen again, then fuck yeah.

I: Cuddle the other for no reason: 

Emma: I’d say we’re both very cuddly for no reason. Harry (smiles): We are.

I: Sleep on the couch after an argument:

Emma: We’ve never let that happen yet, have we? I mean, you left that one time, but… sleeping on the couch? Harry: Yeah.. Still sorry for that… But, umm,  yeah, would be proper weird, wouldn’t it? Like knowing that we’ve had a fight but would be lying a few feet away from each other? Emma: Yeah. Definitely.

I: Drive and who is most likely to ride shotgun:

Emma: I actually love sitting on the passenger seat – and Harry loves to drive, so it’s a win-win. Harry: You only love to do that because you wanna be in charge of the music! Emma: Haha, guilty.

I: Choose the music in the car: 

Harry: As I said before, Emma loves to choose the music! I think I’ve got around 50 CDs lying around in my car because you made a mixtape for every day of the week, every emotion, every bloody season. Didn’t you make one the other day about songs which feature the word ‘wolves’? Emma (sings): Yes!! But only because - In the middle of the night when the wolves come ouuuut. Harry: See what I have to deal with? Emma: Oh come on, you love it. Harry (smiles): Yeah, I do.

I: Get jealous:

Emma (raises her eyebrows): I guess that would be you Mister. Harry: Ummm…. Maybe? Emma: More like, definitely!

I: Break the expensive gift rule: 

Emma (hits Harry’s shoulder repeatedly): You. You. You, you, you. Harry: Okay, yes. Guilty. But not gonna change that, so…

I: Hog the covers at night:

Emma: I guess no one? Harry: Yeah, don’t think that has ever happened?

I: 1. What do you do when the other is upset?

Harry: It’s pretty easy to notice because, she kinda doesn’t listen to music? Like, she’s proper quiet and that’s… off-putting. So, I try to talk with her and usually, she tells me what’s wrong pretty quickly. And I think talking about it helps you a lot, doesn’t it? Emma: Definitely. I just need to vent a bit, get it off of my chest… and then I usually feel better. But with you it’s a bit more difficult because you don’t really like talking about your problems, so it’s like pulling teeth, trying to get you to talk about what’s actually bothering you. So I usually… light a candle and make a cup of tea and… try to be there for cuddling and stuff? Harry: S’ppose that’s true… I just don’t want you to worry about what’s worrying me, so I keep quiet and try to work it out on my own… but I’m trying to be better with the sharing stuff…

I: 2. Who is more romantic? Give examples.

Emma: That one goes to Harry, without question. Like… all those little surprises that wait for me, when you’re gone for a longer period of time. Like new records – mostly new records of artists you think I’d like. Surprise visits in general… And the surprise dinners? I love them so much… You’re actually an amazing cook! Harry: Thanks. I just love doin’ that stuff for you… But you’re actually plenty romantic… Cause you like to slip these bits and pieces of lyrics, or poems or quotes from books and movies into my pockets when I go away. Honestly, they’re the best thing ever…

I: 3. What do your families think of your relationship?

Harry: Well, I know that Gemma adores her. Which is kinda annoying because they tend to team up against me. Mum loves Emma too, ever since she stayed over for Christmas and walked around in that reindeer suit and baked like 1000000 Christmas biscuits and that Stollen-thing… Emma: Well, I’m quite lovable. Harry: Yeah, you’re alright, I guess. Emma: Idiot… For whatever, incomprehensible reason, my sister likes him a lot – and my niece, Thea, she’s completely obsessed with him. Obviously she doesn’t understand a word he’s saying but somehow, every time they meet, they’re inseparable. And I think, weirdly enough, he’s won my mum over? She’s not an easy nut to crack, so I’m pretty impressed about that. My dad likes him as well, but I think what Harry does for a living still freaks him out a bit.

I: 4. If you had to wear a couples costume for Halloween, what would you go as?

Emma: Umm… Oh, we could go as Simon & Garfunkel… that would be cool, right? Harry: I could get on board with that. I actually thought you’d say something like: yeah, Harry’s gonna dress up as Vermeer and I’ll go as the Girl with a Pearl Earring. Emma: That’s actually an even better idea! Harry: Oh God…

I: 5. Are you both earlier rises? Or do you both sleep in? Or is there one of each?

Emma: I am absolutely not an early riser. Harry: Haha, no you aren’t! You’re such a night-owl. Like, when I’m away in the States – there’s a good chance, you’ll still be awake at like four in the morning. Emma: Hey! Your sleeping schedule is way more messed up than mine! Harry: That is debatable.

I: 6. Do you have any routines at night? Before bed, in bed, etc.

Harry: You usually read a lot… and I’ve kinda picked up on that? Emma: Meaning you’re stealing my book. Harry: I’m just curious about the notes you write down in the margins. Often gives me a whole new perspective on a story. I like that. Emma (swoons): Awww. Harry: Also, you wanting to get your book back very much always leads to other activities that I’m quite fond of. Emma (bursts out laughing): That’s… true.

I: 7. What nicknames do you have for each other?

Harry: Umm… We don’t really have nicknames? Emma: No, I don’t think so? Sometimes you call me love? But… no real nicknames. God we’re boring! Harry: I’d like to think we’re cool. Emma: Haha, yeah okay. We’re cool.

I: 8. Say you had a child, who is the strict parent and who is the lenient parent?

Harry: Umm… I guess, we’d both be… a bit strict and a bit lenient… dunno, it’s kinda a bit early to talk about kids right? Emma: Yes. God, definitely a bit early. But in this hypothetical scenario, I do think you’re right… I think we’d both be a good mix of both?

I: 9. Would you rather go to a fancy restaurant for a date or stay at home and watch movies with pizza?

Both simultaneously: Stay at home and watch movies with pizza!

I: 10. What first attracted you about the other person?

Harry: Honestly… she just danced into that Café right in front of me – and the whole image… the way she bopped her head up and down to the music and moved her hips in this clumsy but cute way. That was, in a weird way, very attractive and so cool? And then she fell down and I helped her up and she said that Harry Potter line to me… Dunno… plenty of things at once. You have a very capturing personality, a beautiful smile, a cool sense of humour… You just always kept me wanting to get to know you more, I guess that was the most attractive thing about you. Emma: Fucks sake Harry… (clears her throat)… Okay… well I guess, I kinda really liked – and it’s embarrassing to admit to that – your stupid jokes. Harry: Hah! Emma: (mumbles) I’ll never live that one down… Also, umm, the way you generally hold yourself… that was one of the first things I noticed about you... pretty damn attractive.  

[bioluminescentwriting]

leesh, queen of tagging games, asked me to do this couple thing for cecily and liam, which was actually so much fun so thanks! And I did it for post-baby liam and cecily which is even more fun :)

rules: choose a couple of fave photos/gifs/manips/etc of your ship! copy and paste the questions down below! answer as if you’re the characters that have been tagged! then tag some more of your fave ships/characters to answer next!

I’m gonna tag my power couple grace and harry @justanchorandhope, my other power couple frances and harry @stylesprimes, my other other power couple teneil and harry @littlebird006, and my other other other power couple ramona and harry @nebulastyles

For a full list of questions without answers, click here!

WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO:

Make breakfast: liam, definitely

Cuddle the other for no reason: liam, although sometimes cecily will surprise him by initiating a cuddle out of the blue with no explanation and he’ll just run with it because those moments are rare

Sleep on the couch after an argument: neither, they have an agreement to never go to bed angry after they move in together

Drive and who is most likely to ride shotgun: liam drives for the most part although cecily will drive if he’s low on sleep and needs a break

Choose the music in the car: if there’s music in the car at all, cecily is choosing it for sure

Get jealous: cecily, though she’d never admit it

Break the expensive gift rule: both of them

Remember anniversaries: liam, but cecily tries her best even if she’s a couple days late

Sneak sweets in the shopping cart: cecily

Hog the covers at night: cecily

1. What do you do when the other is upset?

Liam: it really depends on the situation. There are definitely times when I can tell Cecily is upset but that she needs space to process before she talks about it and when that happens, I’ll leave her alone and let her come to me when she’s ready. But when she’s all up in her head and ruminating about something that’s upsetting her, I generally try to coax it out of her because most of the time just talking it out with me helps her out

Cecily: Liam is pretty open about his feelings so when he’s upset, usually it just helps him if I’m around him so he doesn’t feel alone and he has someone to talk to if he needs to. I’m not too great at giving advice about feelings because I generally try to avoid them but I’ll just sit with him most of the time, let him hold my hand or let him cuddle with me, and he says that helps a lot

2. Who is more romantic? Give examples.

Cecily: Definitely Liam, he is such a sap

Liam: Hey, that’s not -- actually, no, she’s probably right

Cecily: With Liam it’s always the little things like surprising me with flowers or cooking me my favourite dinners as a surprise or taking over with the baby when I’m feeling tired. And I’ve come after a long day once or twice to a bath drawn with flower petals floating in it and a bunch of candles lit a time or two

Liam: I guess I am a bit of a romantic, but Cecily has her moments too. Sometimes I’ll fall asleep working at the table and wake up to find all my chart review done and there’s nothing more romantic in her mind than finishing someone’s chart review for them

Cecily: Wait, are you making fun of me right now?

Liam: of course not

3. What do your families think of your relationship?

Cecily: ha! My family covers the entire scale from already basically treating him like a part of the family (Georgie) to wishing he’d never laid eyes on me (mum) so our relationship is a bit up in the air with the Weaver/Richards family

Liam: I’m pretty sure my mum adopted Cecily in her mind the first time she met her at our debate competition so us being together in a semi-official capacity has her over the moon

4. If you had to wear a couples costume for Halloween, what would you go as?

Cecily: oh god, never!

Liam: I think we’d be cute in a couples costume thing, we should try that

Cecily: Have you hit your head recently? Finally lost your bloody mind? If you even suggest it in my presence again, Liam Payne...

Liam: yeah, but wouldn’t it be sweet if we did one with the two of us and Carina?

Cecily: ...

Liam: You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?

Cecily: .... damn it

5. Are you both earlier rises? Or do you both sleep in? Or is there one of each?

Liam: I think, for the most part, we’re both early risers but that’s probably out of habit more than anything. And now, with the baby, it’s a miracle if either of us get a full night’s sleep anymore

Cecily: god, I think back to those days when I willingly sacrificed sleep and I sort of hate myself, I didn’t even realize how good I had it. Here’s my advice to anyone who likes sleeping -- don’t have a baby

6. Do you have any routines at night? Before bed, in bed, etc.

Cecily: All of our routines include Carina now and she’s so much better during the days when we keep our routine at night so it’s a bath, a bottle, a song from Liam if she’s being a bit fussy, and then bed. And after that’s done we’re both usually pretty exhausted so we just wash up and lie in bed for a bit. Sometimes that bit of time we’re in bed before we sleep is the only quiet moment we’ll have in a day so Liam’s gotten into the habit of asking me about my day and telling me about his, and it’s actually sort of nice, don’t you think?

Liam: It’s my favourite part of the day.

7. What nicknames do you have for each other?

Cecily: Ugh, I hate nicknames.

Liam: She really does. She doesn’t even call the baby Care like the rest of us, always Carina

Cecily: well, that’s what I named her, so that’s what I’m going to call her. 

Liam: I don’t mind them. Care doesn’t seem to mind either. And I’ve called Cecily Ces for as long as I can remember

Cecily: Despite my best efforts to make him stop

8. Say you had a child, who is the strict parent and who is the lenient parent?

Cecily: Liam is definitely the lenient one. He lets Carina get away with murder. All she has to do is whine for a split second and he’s got her up and out of her cot, rocking her, singing to her. 

Liam: That’s not true. I just don’t like the idea of letting her cry, I don’t care what the parenting books say. And I know you don’t either so don’t even pretend that you’re the strict one. Who’s the one who insisted on using the baby wrap rather than the pram so much that you pulled the muscle in your back, just because you were worried she was going to miss being held by you?

Cecily: Liam, we’re turning into those parents we used to make fun of all the time for letting their kids own them, how did we let this happen?

Liam: we made a bloody cute kid, that’s how.

9. Would you rather go to a fancy restaurant for a date or stay at home and watch movies with pizza?

Liam: when’s the last time we went out for a date?

Cecily: how sad would it be if I said I don’t think we’ve ever been to a fancy restaurant on a date?

Liam: Christ, we need to get out more

10. What first attracted you about the other person?

Liam: I remember when we first met, it was orientation at uni and I was hanging around with these lads from my floor who were just really awful, and I said something stupid and derogatory about Cecily to try and impress them and she just turned around and looked straight at me for the longest time and said “you’re better than this”. And it felt like she was really seeing me, seeing right past my facade, trying to look all cool, and saw the real me underneath, this scared kid who had been picked on all through school and was away at uni, alone in a big city, just trying to fit in. For the first time in what felt like my whole life, someone was seeing me for who I was. And I’m pretty sure I fell in love with her that day. Spent a year grovelling and making up for that one stupid comment but I finally convinced her and it was worth all the effort now that we’ve made it here

Cecily: jesus, and here I was about to say that Liam had a great bum

Liam: I do have a great bum, though, don’t I?

Cecily: You do. And a really great heart to go with it

[caredogstips]

23 Amazing Date Ideas For The Guy Who’s Broke AF

Men, I get the struggle ofkeeping up with lease remittances, student lends and monthly bills.

And I’m not going to lie, girls love to be pampered … aka you picking up the check on a date. It shows you are confident, musing and have your sh* t together. So when you finallymeet that special girl, your invoices can pile up even more .

But let me share with you a little secret: You DON’T “re going to have to” splurge on palatial dinners to impede( at the least the best use of) us interested.Yes, we want to be taken out to have a good time. But with a littlecreative design, between you and me, you can come up with some time plans thatreally don’thave to blow your budget.

Don’t get me wrong; fancy dates are astonishing. But however cliche this may sound, many girlfriends genuinely do believe it’s the thought that weighs. Extending that additional mile in projecting a appointment will realize her super impressed with your creativity.

When taking it to the next stage, there is no better behavior of getting to know her than simply being yourself. Don’t be afraid of escapade and spontaneity.Laughing and giving loosewith one another is such an integral part of every relationship, and that doesn’t payment a thing.

These may not be your favorite projects, but trust me; they are a great way to triumphing a girls heart.So suck it up, and take one for the team when youre be prepared to impress( but divulged AF ).

And trust me guys; if she’s glad, you’ll be happy.

1. Move on a romantic saunter at sunset.

Now I know nostalgic moves and sunsets are probably one pace beneath having a needle poked in your see. But you’re not getting very far without this kind of date.

The Brooklyn Bridge is an breathtaking discern to take a stroll if you live in NYC. And good-for-nothing beats the Golden Gate Bridge if you’re on the Western coast!

Any special landmark or scenic itinerary works just fine.

2. Cruise in a blow-up paddleboat or hire a rowboat on a lake.

Let’s think of this as afternoon exercise, so you can kill two birds with one stone.

A blow-up boat can be found at most discount stores, if you don’t already have one. Its fun to do several times over the summer.Besides, it can double as a beer cool for your next summer banger.

You are also welcome to hire canoes and kayaks for very inexpensive — sometimes for nothing.

Chilling on a pond is the ultimate summertime initiatives to woo your hunny.

3. Stargaze.

Whether you’re gazing from the back of a station wagon or on a rooftop, stargazing “re in the right” style to go.

Dont forget a cozy blanket, binoculars and a bottle of wine or a six pack.

4. Cook a yummy dinner for her at your place.

Set the counter with flowers, candles, a pretty tableclothand dont forget the finest background music.

Ask her to dress up, and I know you will hate this part, but make sure you do, extremely. The items are whatcount, and you’re the buster with no coin, so recollect, I’m helping you out here.

5. Teach her your specialty.

This is one you’re actually going to enjoy.Whether its surfing, snowboarding, ice skating, skateboarding, golfing or playing guitar, share it with her, and contrive an breathtaking daytime around it.

Hint: If your favorite activity is shotgunning brews and playing video games, you might wanttore-think thisplan.

But overall, she’ll be excited to better understand you, and what better path to personalize your time together than with something you genuinely experience doing?

6. Have a selfie-stick photo shoot afternoon.

OK, don’t gag on this one. I’m on your line-up, recollect?

Plan out some scenic spots to take her. Girls are all about great pics, so peculiars are, she will have a lot of enjoyable with this.

If youre feeling genuinely wily, periodical out some favorites from the shoot, and frame them for her for one of your next gifts.

Again, this is mawkish, but occasions are you’re is gonna have to make up for all the money you’re saving with corniness.

7. Take her hiking.

For the adventurous girlfriend wholoves the outdoors and workout, scheme this on a sunny afternoon, and pick a great destination to defeated the heights.

Now if she’s a high-maintenance diva, either tone down the course a little bit, or lower her like it’s hot.

Pack a backpack for two with all the right snacks and sucks. And irrigate! Don’t forget water.

8. Travel on a winery tour.

If shes a enthusiastic wine buff, touring and tasting is the ultimate date for her.

Any winery will do. Many don’t indict any fees for a tour and tasting. Plus, bitches affection wine.

9. Take her to a classic gondola show.

Guys love cars, right? Well, girlfriends love them very. If shes a vehicle fiend, you will both really have fun goingto a cruise darknes. If she’s not, occasions are she’ll become one.

After admiring hot rods, ice cream or a milkshake would be the end to a perfect date…or perhaps exactly the beginning.

10. Run on arun or go on the beach.

Whats better than a romantic stroll on the beach? Well, I’m sure there are a fewthings you would rather be doing with her.

This idea resounds so overplayed, but it’s certainly timeless. Running and sauntering are always revitalizing, and there’s something deep calming and nostalgic about doing so by the beach.

It’ll get her primed for those working happens you’d preferably be doing that I mentioned earlier.

11. Volunteer at live animals shelter.

Volunteering ever acquires everyone feel good. It also can tell you a great deal about what kind of girl she is on the inside.

Bring the dogs for a saunter, and experience a fun afternoon surrounded by furry friends who will really appreciate the attention.

The right girl won’t be able to contain herself around all these puppies. Trust me on this one. Puppy-dog gazes bring out the best us.

12. Take your dogs to a dog park.

If either of you are a baby owned, this is a piece of cake. Your pupswill desire it, she’ll adoration it, and so will you.

But “theres” two things to remember on this one: One, don’t think of your dog as plagiarizing your year; think of him as your wingman.Two, the best way of a girl’s center, and every lieu else, is through her puppy.

Definitely. Like. Her. Puppy.

Pro tip: Dont forget to deliver her puppytreats! It will give you a plow of your own, I promise.

13. Leave her a home spa night.

OKguys, in this case, number 13 is your lucky amount. This time is likely to be nostalgic, tightening and just plain old-time enjoyable for the both of you.

Pamper her all nighttime long, and finish it off with going cozy in the bathtub. You’re welcome.

14. Order takeout.

Set up a casual, candlelit carpet picnic for two.

Surround the place with pillows and blankets, acquiring it actually comfy.Maybe whip out some “Magic Mike” moves…choice is yours.

15. Take her sledding.

Obviously, you’ll necessary a good snowfall for this one. But the purpose of it all is this won’t cost you a dime.

Hot chocolate, marshmallows and beakers are a must to bring out this time for after you two are soaked and ice. Plus, warming up together doesn’t sound so bad , now does it?

16. Go bike riding.

This one’s not bad at all. Mapout a path along the beach or a lagoon, if possible.

Bring intelligent goodies, liketrail mixture, strength barrooms and water bottles.

You better be a good biker. It will be pretty embarrassing if she inhales you.

17. Have a homemade pizza night.

Who doesn’t love to do pizza, guys? Set up all of the ingredients, and make a pasty together. It’s certainly not that hard, even if you suck at cooking.

End the nighttime astounding her with gelato, and you won’t be sorry.

18. Run to a drive-in movie.

The night wouldnt be complete without boxed movie snacks. Bring somepopcorn and Milk Duds( which you can buy at a reasonably inexpensive cost, as opposed to those crazy movie prices ).

Check out this list of drive-in movie theaters throughout the country you can go to!

19. Become to a beer-tasting at your neighbourhood brewery.

Find a brewery near you for a tasting.This time was literally drawn for you . It’s like when you get person a endowment that’s privately for you.

Except you’ll enjoyed it, she’ll enjoy it, and everybody’s happy. Breweries are super “hip, ” so even if she doesn’t desire beer, she’ll be excited only to snap visualizes and tell her friends she went.

20. Have an outsidecampfire.

Make sure the weather is fire pit-worthy, certainly. Also make sure you don’t burn the house down.

Be prepared with wine, smores and lodges for toasting marshmallows.

Stop rolling your eyes. When you got no coin, you still gotta satisfy the hunny.

21. Shed an old-fashioned picnic at a romantic spot.

Give the place some really good supposed; something withspecial “ve been meaning to” her or the both of you.

Arrive with a bouquet of daisies and knapsack filled with a covering and her favorite snacks.

Yes, of course your chums would giggle their tushes off if they saw you here. But DGAF; they’re not the ones you need to impress. And while they’re off being “cool, ” you’re off going laid.

22. Stay in and have a movie marathon.

Cuddle on the sofa, make gourmet popcorn with enjoyable transcends, and have the best nostalgic movies lined up for this one.

“The Notebook, ” “Love Actually, ” “The Longest Ride, ” “P.S. I Affection You, ” “How To Lose A Guy In 10 Daytimes, ” “Maid In Manhattan” are classics.

Come on guys, a real man can get through “The Notebook” just fine. And whether you declare it or not, I bet you’ll even like it.

So nip it, and don’t forget additional butter for the popcorn.

23. Have a chocolate microchip cookie broiling night.

Her sweet tooth will appreciate this, and so will yours.

After they’re all done, consider yo’self, and make sure you have milk for dunking.

Have fun, and think outside of the box.Dating doesnt have to be expensive, butyou’re going to get out of it what the hell are you put into it.

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[loveinruins]

He's losing me..

So last Friday I told myself that we were just going to eat and then I was going to go on the date that I had planned. So Friday night comes and he waited for me because he finished early and he asked me to make a decision on where to eat and I was like you always make me choose. I chose last week can't you pick?? Seriously I always pick when we go somewhere.. after complaining he goes look I wouldn't mind pizza or Italian.. so because I've never been to DOC before we decided to go there. On the way we were having a chat about the whole MT sitch again and just had a bit of banter or whatever. We get to DOC and it wasn't busy so I go shotgun the couch and he goes and sits on a table for two and goes where are you shotgunning? I rolled my eyes and I was like ugh fine.. Anyway so we have dinner and he's like what pizza are you gonna get? He's like look all the pizzas are good if you want you get one and I'll get one and we'll share. So I ended up ordering margarita to be safe and he ordered capricosa with anchovies or something and it was still nice. So we were just talking about random shit I mean I've left this blog so long I can't really remember now but I remember overall I had a good time. So good that when he dropped me off home I didn't want to go and meet up with DB. I remember he said something to me in the car and I was like can you pls be nice I'm really fragile right now. I was on the phone to B and she like cracked it at me saying that enough is enough and I had to go and whatever. So I ended up going and having fun. DB was tall af, tanned and older. Just a man. Everything G is not. So I ended up going to Carlton club and meeting him there, we had a few drinks and I had a good time. I had a few people ask me if he was boyfriend and if we were on a date and I was like yeah. These randoms told us we look cute together and I was like oh yeah.. He was so touchy feely with me and grabbing me and whatever then it was really cold and I wanted to leave cos I had my eyelash app the next morning and def was not missing that so I offered to take DB home and when we got to the front of his house I was like thanks for tonight and he goes oh come in and I go umm nah I've got an app early and he goes come in my house is warm and I go mmm I dunno and then he goes just come in baby and I'm like alright but only for 20 mins. Fast forward the night we were fooling around but didn't sleep together cos I had my period. He held me in his arms and stroked my hair until I fell asleep and I woke up in his arms and was like fuckkkk gtg. Anyway I kissed him bye and left. So all week I didn't hear from him but he kept telling me that he wanted to see me next Friday and to make sure I didn't sleep with anyone else because I told him I hadn't for like 4 years. So Friday that just passed came and I didn't hear from him and I knew G wanted to hang out on Friday night so I messaged DB asking him if I was still seeing him and he was like oh I already made plans. This pissed me the fuck off and I was so upset like legit don't even know why or how I was so upset by him. I dunno if it's because he said to me that he wanted to see me and to make sure that he did see me or if it was because he made me feel so wanted when he stroked my hair and held me until I fell asleep. Like no one has ever done that with me before and when I woke up I was still in his arms and he kissed me of the forehead and everything. Anyway so I was pretty upset the whole day because of that and then later in the afternoon when I went over to EM's team area and G was giving me shit to try and get my attention I pretty much just ignored him and ended up walking up to G and just being like what? He goes what's wrong straight away and I'm like nothing nothing and he kept asking and pestering me about it and I was just like nothing I'm just tired and he goes you're lying and I go I'm not he goes just tell me and I'm like nothing he goes is it work? I go no. He goes what is it again I was denying anything and then he goes is it a guy? I go yes ok.. And then that's when he was like oh ok... Turns around to this desk and puts his phone on available and then goes ok well what happened and I'm like I don't want to talk about it, he goes we'll talk about it later and I go no we won't and walked off. End of day comes and we go to leave work and in the car I was tearing because my eyelash was poking into my eye and he was like wtf what's wrong just tell me you're basically crying and I go I'm not he's like I don't fucking believe you and I was like wtf I'm not my eyelash is poking into my eye. He's like just tell me and kept pestering me about it once again. I'm like ughhhhh I was meant to see this guy tonight and he made other plans when he said he was going to see me last week when I saw him but now I'm not. Like don't tell me you really want to see me and then go and make other plans. He was like well maybe he just made plans with the boys when did you last see him? I was like last Friday and then at that moment he realized I went and saw DB and not the boys as I had told him. He goes well don't be upset like I'm sure because you guys didn't speak or whatever he just thought he wasn't gonna see you. I was like yeah but don't tell me you wanna see me and then make other plans wtf?! So we're driving whatever and he goes I haven't seen you this upset before, well since the last guy you told me about which was a few months ago and I'm like mm yeah let's not count that one.. anyway he goes well don't worry about it too much or whatever and we started talking about something else. We ended up going to lamb on chaps and grabbed a feed, spoke some shit and then as we were in the car I copped a message from DB.. I like gasped Instantly he could see my whole mood changed and I had a smile on my face and he goes look at your face and I go what? He goes look how happy you are that he's messaged you and I'm like yeah.. he goes you must really like him and I go yeah I mean I like him but not like really like him and he goes relax you can show some emotion sometimes you know. I was like alright whatever and he goes what did he say? I go he aais what's up miss? He goes ok wait about halfa to reply and I go yeah I know I'm not gonna reply straight away. He's like what are you gonna say I'm like I dunno and he goes just say I'm in the car with my work friend he's taking me home, make sure you say he so he knows you're with a guy. I go no wtf why would I say I'm with a guy he's gonna be like no wtf it's like him saying he's out for dinner with a girl like nooo.. He goes oh fuck so are you gonna be able to have guy friends? Soon T is gonna get a boyfriend and there won't be time for old mate G anymore and I go yeah exactly so appreciate the time you spend with me and he goes fuck off you should appreciate the time you spend with me and I go no don't get it twisted babe you appreciate the time with me. G then drops me off home and before he does he goes you know I'm really happy for you I hope this guy doesn't break your heart because if he does there's gonna be a problem and I'm like lol what are you gonna do he goes nah I mean I'll message the baker and he'll sort him out and I laughed in my head I was like yeah you pussy like you'd do anything. I kinda fucked up because I said to him you know you irritate me so much you're the only person who gets under my skin so bad but I can't stay mad at you. I don't even know why. You should've seen the smile he had on his face. So he snapped me a couple of times that night and yeah he made a comment about how all his friends love me and whatever. I was like yeah your friends are nice. Umm anyway I didn't really speak to him all weekend just via snap here and there. Comes yesterday on Monday he watched my snap story and replied to it saying yes late shift still in bed or something and I was like.. 😒 and he goes haha if it makes it any better I'll drive in today xx I was like yaaas 😇 Anyway during work he goes so are you actually gonna come home with me tonight and I go yeah I have to stay back and do proposals anyway. So MT and KT were both giving me shit saying that I was waiting for him and I was like well why wouldn't I? I'm getting a ride home and I'm staying back anyway. So anyway he tells me on the way home how he likes hanging out with me and why he thought I was a cool chick from the start and specifically in his words called me a ''mad bitch". He then brought up an analogy as we again were on the topic about him and MT. He goes for example it's like if you had bf and all of a sudden I was like T I think you're cute and all this shit and then another analogy about how hypothetically we were bf and gf and I was thinking to myself. This jiggaboo.. y u do dis? I dunno I felt like I was doing really well and using DB as a distraction and I just feel like what he said in the car about me being with a work guy friend was him trying to sabotage me because now he knows I'm over him. Like officially. I feel like since he has found out he has tried a lot hard to reel me back in. Even the baker agrees with me. Even today I didn't pay him much attention but he sent me a lead and I saw him a bit after work and he cracked it cos I didn't say bye to him. I go I did say bye but you didn't hear me obviously. He then goes oh so you're not so nice to me when I don't drive you home and I go umm no wtf and we had a bit of banter and he has his arm around me to hug me and he goes I saw you go Up to EM and hug her and I go ok tomorrow I will make sure I say hiiii G and gave him a hug and he goes I'll be like wtf is going on. I go exactly. Anyway him and MT are finally sorting things out so let's see how that goes but before I left I was like bye besties and G goes yeah me? I know. Anyways I dunno. Whatever I'm like 95% over it. At least that's what I'm telling myself anyway.